


Requiem of the Past

by EclipseOfTheWild



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Basically Time's road to recovery over the years, Because he went through a lot of shit, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Healing, Introspection, Time needs a hug, and he gets one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:55:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24744175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EclipseOfTheWild/pseuds/EclipseOfTheWild
Summary: "Pity followed him wherever he went, but yet when he stared at the girl in front of him, he didn’t see it.Her smile was kind, her eyes gentle, and as he tentatively placed his hand in hers--it was warm."Or the long journey of Time trying to find his place as he struggles to come to terms with his adventures and what they took from him
Relationships: Malon (Legend of Zelda)/Time (Linked Universe)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 50





	Requiem of the Past

**Author's Note:**

> So wow I haven't written in so long sjddgkjhdkj sorry about that, but I would like to dedicate this fic to a good friend of mine! 
> 
> (If you're reading this, love you Lime <3 and #LoveWar)
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing this and I hope y'all enjoy!

He was tired. He was tired and not a single soul but him could possibly know or understand why. To the rest of the kingdom- the rest of the world- there has only been peace. There was never some Gerudo King that destroyed Hyrule and took over, there was never a tomb of ice replacing Zora’s Domain, there was never monsters that invaded the Kokiri Forest, there was never an army of walking corpses roaming Castletown, nor a creature of shadow that emerged from a well in Kakariko Village, nor even a dragon that terrorized the Gorons of Death Mountain.

All was peaceful. Nobody ever knew of these things, for they never truly happened. Sometimes he questioned himself if any of it was real. He wondered if he ever met a fairy that guided him to an ailing Deku Tree, if he ever met the princess of the kingdom, if he ever drew a sacred sword and slept for seven years.

If nobody else remembered these things, did they truly happen? Maybe he was just losing his mind, maybe he just wasn’t as sane as he thought he was. Could all the horrors that he’d experienced have truly been a figment of his imagination?

Had he simply conjured up the grinning moon that was slowly descending towards a land that was so familiar yet so different? Had he imagined the countless people he met, all the tragedies he had witnessed, the same three days that he had relived time and time again? Had he really met an irritable fairy that had made his heart ache for another? Had he really met a lost soul who was misguided because he simply missed his friends?

Was any of it real?

If none of it was real, if nothing had ever happened, then why did he feel so tired? Why was there an exhaustion that seemed to run down to his very soul? Why was it that he could barely close his eyes without reliving the horrors of a time that never existed?

No matter how much he wondered or doubted, he knew deep down that it did truly happen. Even if he was just a child, he had already grown up long ago. He had grown up the moment the fate of the entire world was placed upon his frail shoulders and was sent on his way with nothing but a sword a little wooden shield, forced to find his own way in the world as he left behind the closest thing he had to a father, who was already lost to the world. 

It was when he had woken up seven years in the future with the Master Sword in hand that he realized that there was no going back. There was no regaining the child-like innocence that he had lost, no regaining the life that he lived in Kokiri Forest. Even when everything was over, he’d still have no place in the world.

And it was when he arrived back in the Lost Woods after saving a land that was unknown to all but him and a wanderer of the forest that he realized that he didn’t know if he would ever have a place in the world.

Yet he wasn’t sure if he regretted it; he wasn’t sure if he’d take everything back if he had the choice. No matter how much he lamented the past he knew that if he was given the choice he’d do it all again. He didn’t want Hyrule to burn just because of his own selfish desires, and even if Termina disappeared or even if it never truly was the land it might’ve been long ago, he knew that he couldn’t have ever stood by and watched all those people suffer any longer.

Some would say that was because he was a ‘hero’, but he never really found himself calling himself such a title. Maybe saving a kingdom would be considered ‘heroic’, but really on his journey he never felt like it was gallant or brave- he was simply struggling to survive, to accomplish whatever goal had been placed in front of him.

As he had stumbled around in a body that was far older than his own, one that never truly felt like his, he was lost and confused and he simply wanted things to be peaceful again, so he fought. He fought with all his might to right a wrong that only he could right according to whatever prophecy or destiny had brought him away from his home and any comfort he had.

He would never call himself a hero, because that wasn’t what he was. He was a scared, little boy who struggled to carry the burdens of the world that had been placed on his shoulders. He was a child who was expected to be a man, so that’s what he became, even if his heart remained young and fragile.

Yet now that everything was over what was he? There were no more evil kings to slay, no dungeons to conquer, no sages to free. Everything was over, and the world moved on without him.

And he was left with nothing. 

-

He grew older- not because he slept for another seven years- but it never felt that way. It felt like no matter how much time passed, he was stuck in the past. Whenever he stared at his reflection he could still see the haunted look in his eyes, the pure exhaustion that still clung to him.

His demons still gripped his mind and lingered in his dreams, still leaving him gasping for air as he woke every night. He was still alone, and anyone he had met surely thought him to be insane. In all honesty he probably was. 

He wished that he could simply let go of everything, to just be able to float away and not have the darkness of his past be weighing him down, but instead he was sinking further and further into the depths of his own insanity as he continued to run desperately from his memories that pounded against his brain, forcing him to remember over and over.

No matter how old he was he still felt like a child who aged too fast. There was never a moment of respite; there was never time for him to heal. There was nobody to turn to, for nobody would ever know of the things he went through, of the trials he faced. 

His voice wouldn’t be heard- he himself hadn’t heard it for years. He could never reach out for there was never anything to reach for. Despite his own wishes, he remained hopelessly alone. He had met many people over the years, but they never understood him; they could call him their friend, but to him they always remained distant.

He always ended up pushing them away anyways. He could never find comfort in the worried smiles nor the eyes filled with pity.

Time passed, but the wounds still bled.

-

A sweet voice settled over the fields he roamed, startling the demons away, making his sunken eyes raise to the familiar ranch he had passed by so many times before. He felt tiredness pull at him, his knees wanting to buckle and send him to the ground, but he stood, listening to the song that reached his ears.

The voice was warm and soft, washing over him and giving him a strange sense of peace. A pinprick of light seemed to shine past the dark as he simply closed his eyes and let the music take him away. His feet wanted to pull him forward, up the familiar path to the familiar girl he had met so long ago, but he stayed where he was.

He didn’t know if he could face her, if he could show her the horrors of the world. He would rather her be able to smile and sing without a single worry, to be able to go about her life without ever knowing of evil kings and monsters and destiny.

He was content to stay right there in the field, the soft glow of twilight in the sky and the voice of an angel far above him.

Even for a short while, he could ignore the harsh whispers of his mind.

-

It was storming. The feeling of rain seeping into his clothes was uncomfortable yet familiar; the thunder rumbling above was a tune he had heard far too many times. The sharp cold of the water broke through the numbness he could never shake, the streaks of lightning overhead illuminating his dull eyes.

He wasn’t sure why he was there, why he was standing where he was, nor did he truly care. He simply wished to let the rain wash over him, to not think about anything for as long as the storm lasted. He could simply focus on the cold and the flickers of light and loud rumblings around him.

“Hello?”

A voice cut through his thoughts, sending him back to reality as he gazed at the new person in the storm. The red hair, the patterned dress, the horse that she rode on- he knew who she was, but he did not say so. He never said anything these days.

“What are you doing out in this rain? Aren’t you cold?” Her sweet voice inquired.

Despite himself, he found himself giving a small nod of his head. He was cold, but he was cold so he could ground himself. There was nothing else to grasp onto, so he had grasped the cold to ground him. It was never comfort, nor a friend, but it was there when nothing else was.

“Please, let me give you a ride to my ranch? You’ll surely become ill if you remain in this weather.” She held out a hand, smiling softly.

This was different, he realized. He had come across many who had given similar offers, but it never was out of anything but pity. Pity followed him wherever he went, but yet when he stared at the girl in front of him, he didn’t see it.

Her smile was kind, her eyes gentle, and as he tentatively placed his hand in hers-

-it was warm.

-

After the incident with the storm, he hadn’t intended to ever return to Lon Lon Ranch, but yet life had other plans. It almost felt like it was intentional when they ran into each other. He’d be alone, sinking deeper into his own thoughts, and then there she was, kindly offering a ride to the ranch for dinner, or a drink, or even a place to sleep.

And no matter how many times he told himself he wouldn’t go anymore, he never refused her. He supposed it was because of loneliness, or perhaps it was just that he felt too tired to argue, but either way he more often than not ended up in the cozy little home of the red-haired girl.

Sometimes they’d talk- well, she would- and sometimes they would simply sit in silence, but either way he couldn’t help but feel…happy to be there.

He had always expected her to push, to ask what was wrong, but she never did. She simply offered a smile and a place to stay for a while. Her father wasn’t always around, but he didn’t really interact with him anyways besides offering a greeting before going off to his own quarters or to tend to the ranch. He didn’t really find himself minding too much though. 

He was happy to just enjoy the company of his…friend? He idly wondered if that was what they were. In truth they didn’t know much about each other, he was simply some stray she found in the rain and she was an angel who he could never deserve.

They were in different worlds- he was dark and broken and she was bright and pure- and he wasn’t sure if he could ever bridge the gap that laid between them, no matter how much he wished too.

Despite all that, the first conversation he had with her father was about asking for a job at the ranch.

-

He didn’t go out in the storms anymore, nor did she ever have to take him to the ranch. After starting to work around Lon Lon Ranch, he found himself spending more time around her, and he learned more about her.

He still couldn’t bring himself to speak, but genuine smiles came much easier than they did before, and she had even managed to weasel a laugh or two from him. He felt lighter than he had in so long, and it gave him hope that he hadn’t had in years.

Hope that maybe things could change, that he could fight off the darkness that had plagued him for so long, that he could finally move past everything and just _live_ instead of living with his regrets. He knew that he was young, yet after everything he felt like he had lived a lifetime and then some, but with her he felt like what he thought that a teenager would feel like; happy and carefree with hopes and dreams that he wanted to reach for.

She gave him so much, she _saved_ him. Without her…he would still be in the rain, staring blankly at the darkened sky. Nowadays he found a small light illuminating his expression- she had told him as much, and that it made her happy- and his gaze directed towards the singing girl in the horse field as the sun set behind her.

It- she was beautiful.

Somehow she had become his anchor; he didn’t need the cold of the storms to keep him grounded, for he had the warmth of her hand to guide him back to reality. She was his everything, she was all he had. He wasn’t sure how or when that had happened- maybe it was when she had first pulled him out of the storm, maybe it was the second or the third or the tenth; he didn’t know, but he knew that he would do anything for her. He owed her that much. 

He just hoped that one day he’d be able to finally tell her thank you. 

-

“Where are we going? Lon Lon’s the other way!” She asked curiously as he led her away from the bustling Castletown to the familiar fields.

He didn’t take the worn path back to the ranch, stopping in the middle of the swaying grass. She stopped with him, still clearly confused, but still placing her trust in him.

“Is everything okay?” She caught his gaze, only for him to avert his eyes nervously. 

He was nervous; he had been all day. He had trailed behind her as she made deliveries, thinking only about this very moment. Taking a deep breath, he steeled his nerves. He swallowed thickly and met her stare.

She never pitied him, she never questioned him when he woke up gasping after a nightmare; she was simply there, offering a smile that promised warmth and safety. She was a comforting presence that he knew he couldn’t live without, and even as she looked at him now, there was no pity, no sympathy- only an innocent concern.

For the first time in many years, he opened his mouth and let a whisper pass over his lips. “Malon.”

That was her name. It was the name of the angel that had saved him from a horrible fate all that time ago, one that he didn’t deserve but he got anyways, and he couldn’t be more grateful for it. His journey had brought him nothing but pain and grief that none but him could possibly understand, but despite that, despite the fact that he hadn’t even spoken a word to her, she _understood_.

She didn’t know of the gruesome and bloody battles he fought, or the pressure of a title that nobody knew he had, nor of the regret that he could never leave behind, but yet she _understood_ him somehow.

So he spoke. He spoke her name because he wanted to hear it in his own voice- hoarse and quiet as it may be- and because he wanted her to be the one to hear his voice.

She was visibly shocked- mouth hanging wide open with her eyes as big as dinner plates. Yet a smile as brilliant as the sun overcame her face not moments later, shining brightly and beautifully, and in that moment he knew that he wanted to preserve that smile for the rest of his life.

“Link.” She gasped, leaping forward and hugging him close.

Ah, and that was his name. It was the name of a lonely stranger in the rain, one who was a hero in a time that didn’t exist. The Hero of Time had been his title, yet time had always been against him it seemed. 

However as he stood with the woman he knew he loved in his arms, for the first time in forever he felt that he had all the time in the world.

With her- with Malon- he felt like things could get better. With her he didn’t have to drag along a title that no-one else used, he didn’t have to carry the weight of the world on shoulders, and he didn’t have to listen to the whispers of demons that he created.

With Malon, he could just be himself. He could simply be…Link.

And someday he would tell her of everything, someday he would leave behind the terrors that plagued his sleep, he would let the many regrets he held fall away, and someday he’d smile at his savior as she stood in front of him and spoke her vows and as he spoke his.

Someday he’d take up his title again with a smile as he met eight others who understood the burden he had carried. Eight people who he could call his friends as he laughed and smiled along with them and fought by their sides. Someday he’d laugh and take it in stride as one wore the mask of his mortal enemy; he’d talk freely about his adventures without the darkness crushing him down. 

Someday, even if he didn’t know it just yet, he would be okay.

He would finally grow up, and he would heal the broken child that he once was. He would finally leave the past behind, and live happily.

For now, however, he’d simply take it one step at a time.


End file.
